9 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Just Don't Feel Like It

My carrot today:

9 Ways to Motivate Yourself When You Just Don't Feel Like It
- By Skye Thomas
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Achieving the really big goals and dreams always involves
breaking it down into do-able little steps. Assuming that
you've picked a goal or dream that you really love working
at, then most of the steps are a delight to take. No matter
how much you love your dream and no matter how much you love
your work, there are going to be tasks along the way that you
really don't want to do. Those pieces of work that we hate
doing can be the very ones that sabotage our success. How do
you stay motivated during those parts of the journey?

1) Reward yourself. Let's say that I want to lose twenty
pounds. That's not too much, but it's still going to involve
more days of self discipline that I feel like doing. So, I
reward myself with a little treat every time I drop five
pounds. I get to have one of my favorite fattening meals at
the end of each five pound loss. Then I go back to my diet.
At the end, I get to go on a shopping spree to buy new clothes.
Come up with a reward that you can use to motivate yourself.

2) Do it for love of someone else. My teenage son proposed a
deal that works for both of us. I don't smoke cigarettes and
he doesn't experiment with drugs. Every time one of us is
about to give in to temptation, our love for each other
stops us. I can't light up knowing that he might start doing
drugs because I broke our deal. He hates the idea of me dying
of cancer, so he never touches any kinds of drugs offered to
him by his peers. The love of someone else can motivate you
to do what you otherwise might not be able to do for yourself.

3) Trade work with someone else. I've watched my kids perfect
this style of motivation. My son will offer to scrub out the
showers if my daughter will do the dishes for him. Hiring
someone to do the work you don't want to do is actually a form
of trade. Barter or pay someone else to do it for you, so that
you can continue moving forward with your dreams.

4) Truly consider quitting. I'm not telling you to quit, but
to really think about it. If you've got a goal or dream that
means a lot to you and you've already invested a large part
of yourself into making it happen, then what would quitting
feel like? Is avoiding the difficult or distasteful task worth
giving up on your goals and dreams? The love of your long-term
goal can motivate you not to quit.

5) Share the misery. This reminds me of friends in college
getting together to study for an upcoming test. Having friends
along can make the experience more festive then it would have
been if you were doing it alone. Is there a way to team up
with a friend so that the work is easier or at least more
enjoyable?

6) Just get it over with. One of my all time favorite quotes
about getting past your inner blocks was written by Stuart
Wilde in his book The Quickening, "Cut the shit and do the
thing." Yeah it's a bit rough, but we all know those stoic
tough people who simply roll up their sleeves and dive in know
matter how much they may hate the task before them. Take on a
soldier's mindset and just get to work doing the ugly parts so
you can move on to the more rewarding parts of making your
dreams a reality.

7) Get training or education. Quite often, we don't like doing
something because deep down we don't think we know how or that
we are talented enough. So, get the education, do the research,
learn the necessary skills, or whatever else it is that you
need to do to get ready for taking that next step. Once you've
properly trained yourself, then you might even be enthusiastic
about taking that next step.

8) Take a running start at it. Think of riding your bike
uphill. It doesn't take kids very long to figure out that the
best way to get that bicycle to the top of the steep hill is
to build up a lot of speed before you even get to the base of
the hill. You then let that momentum help to propel you most of
the way up. Heck, with enough of a running start you can
sometimes make it all the way up without any major struggles.
If there is a way to pace yourself and reschedule the not so
fun parts of accomplishing your goals until after you've
completed a bunch of the cool parts, then do so. The highs of
your mini successes will help inspire you to push past the
parts that you are avoiding.

9) Figure out a different way to do it. This is the supreme
way to avoid doing the task all together. Be creative, be
smart, think outside the box. Is there any way to make your
dream come true without having to actually do the specific
duty that you're wanting to avoid? Sometimes you can find
another way. Other times, just knowing that there is definitely
no other path to your dreams other than the one before you is
enough to motivate you to just buck up and get through it.

What's most important is not how you keep yourself motivated
but that you keep the long-term benefits of your goals in mind.
If you focus too much on avoiding the uncomfortable parts of
accomplishing your goals, then you won't accomplish much. Find
a way to keep going and remember that all things come with a
price. Pay the price so you can get on with enjoying the dream.

Copyright 2004, Skye Thomas, Tomorrow's Edge
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Skye Thomas is the CEO of Tomorrow's Edge, an Internet leader
in inspiring leaps of faith. She became a writer in 1999 after
twenty years of studying spirituality, metaphysics, astrology,
personal growth, motivation, and parenting. Her books and
articles have inspired people of all ages and faiths to
recommit themselves to the pursuit of happiness. After years
of high heels and business clothes, she is currently enjoying
working from home in her pajamas. To read more of her articles,
sign up to receive her free weekly newsletter, and get free
previews of her books go to www.TomorrowsEdge.net